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Results tagged ‘ Mark DeRosa ’

* The Cardinals met with the agents from Career Sports and Entertainment today, among others. That’s the group that represents both Mark DeRosa and John Smoltz. It doesn’t sound like there’s any serious traction, right now, with either player, but there’s definitely interest. I wouldn’t rule either one out at this point.

* TLR was insistent that the Cardinals not be ruled out in the pursuit of Matt Holliday.

* TLR also acknowledged that the Cards have a real interest in Miguel Tejada. Both of these points, and some others, are included in my daily wrapup story that will soon be going on StLCardinals.com.

* Both TLR and Mozeliak expressed a strong reluctance to move Skip Schumaker off of second base. In the context of conversations about “Plan A,” “Plan B,” etc., Mozeliak referred to such a move as plan “quadruple-Z.”

* TLR acknowledged that there are likely more third-base fits than outfield fits in the current market.

* Mozeliak said that there’s very little likelihood of a trade while the Cardinals are here, and that in fact “more doors are closing” than opening as far as trades.

* The Cardinals will not talk with John Lackey’s agent. This is no surprise, since they consistently, steadfastly emphasize that they have no interest in a deal of longer than one year with a starter. They could yet add a starter, but it would be another one-year contract.

* They’d like to add a lefty power bat off the bench. However, moves like bench and bullpen upgrades will likely wait until the lineup and rotation are squared away.

Mark DeRosa will decline the Cardinals’ offer of arbitration. Keith Grunewald, one of DeRosa’s agents, confirmed the decision on Monday night.

The club had expected as much, and also expects that Joel Pineiro and Matt Holliday will decline as well. However, as of earlier Monday evening, the Cardinals had not received formal word from any of the three free agents. The deadline for free agents to accept or decline offers of arbitration is 11 p.m. CT.

DeRosa still maintains interest in a return to St. Louis, however. Representatives from his agency will meet with the Cardinals on Tuesday.

I have a story going up on StLCardinals.com shortly with a look at the Holliday situation, the starting rotation, and a couple of other matters, but plenty of other tidbits came from my afternoon chat with John Mozeliak, as well as some other sources, today.

* Mozeliak pretty much ruled out the possibility of Troy Glaus returning to play 3B for the Cardinals in 2010. Glaus is just too big of a question mark, healthwise, to rely on to play 3B all year.

* My friend and colleague Todd Zolecki, who writes for Phillies.com and maintains The Zo Zone, spoke with a representative for Mark DeRosa’s agents and was told that DeRosa’s surgery went well. According to Dr. Gary Lourie, who performed the operation, the surgery was completed “with no complications,” and the doctor expects “full baseball activities well before baseball season begins.”

* There’s nothing new to report on Mark McGwire.

* This was one I found a tad curious. I asked Mozeliak if there was anything to be read into the fact that Jason LaRue has not yet signed, given that the Cardinals often act quickly to re-up their backup catcher.

This was his response: “We would like to see how things develop, and how things unfold. I think there’s a lot of things that could be different this year, and we wanted to take a more patient approach as we put this club together.”

I certainly wouldn’t rule out the possibility that someone other than LaRue is the backup catcher in 2010.

* Regarding an upgrade or addition to the right-handed relief corps, here’s what Mozeliak had to say: “I don’t think it’s a priority. But if we thought we could upgrade, we’d consider it.”

* Finally, the Cardinals and all other teams have until Friday to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to the 40-man roster. The Cards have some intriguing decisions, and it will be something worth watching.

It’s finally the end of the road trip. Headed home tonight, and tomorrow actually brings me an off day as I celebrate turning 35.

* Albert Pujols wasn’t feeling good last night or this morning, so the initial lineup did not include him. But Pujols took a nap and took some medicine — I actually saw him snoozing in the clubhouse — and by game time he was OK.

“I wanted to be out there for Carp,” Pujols said after the game. “But if I would have known that he was going to carry our offense like this, I would have stayed on the bench.”

* Yadier Molina didn’t seem at all concerned about his leg tightening up in the fifth inning on Thursday. The early innings moved very slowly, and it was fairly cool. He and TLR both said they expect him to play tomorrow night.

* Mark DeRosa just got a scheduled day out of the lineup. Day after night, and a chance for Glaus to get some ABs.

Overcast but pleasant night at Busch Stadium tonight, and it should be a fun ballgame. Your faithful correspondent is wearing a garnet golf shirt tonight, and if you think that’s a coincidence, you don’t know me very well. Very, very nice win for the Seminoles last night.

But you’re here for baseball, so let’s get on with it. Not a very newsy afternoon, but there are a few things to pass on:

* Ryan Franklin is potentially available tonight, but they’d prefer not to use him.

TLR’s comment: “I think probably he should be [out], but he only threw eight or 10 pitches yesterday. I think there’s a chance, depending on how he warms up, that if it was absolutely necessary and perfect [then he could pitch]. Probably, with two days’ work, he should not pitch. But he really had a short outing.”

* Kyle McClellan sounds like he’s a touch less available than Franklin. He pitched two full (and difficult) innings on Friday, and TLR said at the time that he preferred to give McClellan two days after that.

“I just think we have other guys,” the skipper said when asked about McClellan. “Boggs, Motte, Hawksworth, they all need to pitch and it would be great to give McClellan two days. Now, again, winning this game is important. And if everything lines up and McClellan is the guy who should pitch, or Franklin [then they could pitch].”

* Mark DeRosa was bumped up to the No. 2 spot in the batting order. TLR said it was not to get DeRosa going, but rather to split up the left-handed hitters in the order. Still, it’s standard operating procedure for La Russa to move a slumping hitter UP in the lineup, rather than down — especially into the spot in front of Pujols.

* Troy Glaus remains unavailable and the optimism level sounds low. However, the plan is for Glaus to come on the upcoming road trip.

Hello on another really nice evening in Milwaukee — though I have to say, I’m not thrilled about the ever-decreasing daylight. Had a very nice run by the lake, two different Alterra stops at two different Alterra cafes, and then a very tasty lunch with the esteemed Joe Posnanski at Sobelman’s before heading to the park.

Anyway, on with the tidbits, of which there are many.

* Mark DeRosa was back in the lineup today after missing three games due to back discomfort he first felt in Milwaukee. Also, John Mozeliak said this afternoon that the club has in fact had some very preliminary discussions with DeRosa’s representation about keeping him beyond this year — though he emphasized not to over-sell those discussions.

“In this specific case,” Mozeliak said, “we do have some dialogue but I want to leave it at that.”

* Also from this afternoon’s conversation with the GM: Mozeliak said that the club does not currently plan to pursue a long-term deal with Ryan Ludwick this winter. Ludwick is under the team’s control for the next two seasons, so they don’t need to lock him up. They can instead go through the arbitration process, as they did last winter.

* One last thing from that session: Mozeliak said that it’s likely the Cardinals will carry 14 position players and 11 pitchers on their playoff roster.

* Colby Rasmus sat out a second straight game tonight and is likely to be out again tomorrow. He’s dealing with continuing soreness in his left heel, and in fact it has spread a bit. Previously, Rasmus was only feeling pain in the bottom of his foot. But he said Tuesday that he’s now feeling something a little higher, “under [his] Achilles'” tendon.

Still, it doesn’t sound like this is anything too severe. The expectation seems to be that he’ll play Friday, after tomorrow’s day game and the off day on Thursday. It’s still being called a “day-to-day” situation.

* Ryan Franklin is unavailable again today, and likely tomorrow as well. But TLR emphasized that it’s just rest, not an injury issue.

* Mitchell Boggs is listed as an available reliever, starting today. Kyle Lohse is available to pitch out of the pen tonight, but after this game he will not be out there anymore.

* The rotation for the weekend will be Joel Pineiro on Friday, Lohse on Saturday and Carpenter on Sunday, with Carpenter getting an extra day of rest due to the off day. The question will be Monday, where they can either keep Adam Wainwright on his fifth day or go with Smoltz on five days’ rest followed by Wainwright on five days’ rest on Tuesday.

The latter is much more likely. TLR has indicated that they’re probably going to give the starters the extra day as much as possible down the stretch.

* After a couple of days of back and forth, it now is pretty much settled: the Cardinals will not call up any players from Triple-A Memphis until that team has been eliminated from the playoffs. Memphis begins a best-of-five series against Albuquerque on Wednesday, with Jaime Garcia starting. The series continues on Thursday in Albuquerque, followed by games Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Memphis. Obviously the last two games are on an if-necessary basis.

Hello on an absolutely spectacular day in Milwaukee — as nice as I’ve ever seen in eight years of coming here.

* Ryan Franklin acknowledged that his command hasn’t been as sharp lately as he’d like, but he’s not overly concerned just yet. Still, he’s going to get a couple of days off, and maybe the entire series.

* Mark DeRosa is likewise minimizing his back soreness. He said today that he’s getting better, and that “if the situation was different, I would be playing.” He took BP and infield today and should be in there any day now.

* Kyle Lohse will be available in the bullpen today and perhaps tomorrow, and then will start on Saturday. Mitchell Boggs will be bumped to the bullpen. It sounds as though John Smoltz will be staying in the rotation for the foreseeable future as well.

Lots and lots of tidbits tonight, which also meant plenty of stories for the main site, which is why the tidbits are so late tonight. But here they are on a spectacular, darn-near-perfect night at Busch Stadium.

* Kyle Lohse threw two simulated innings today to Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus, and his stuff was pretty decent. His command was a bit rusty, but that’s to be expected for a guy who’s been on the DL. He hopes to be activated on the day he’s eligible, which is this Sunday, Sept. 7. Check out B.J. Rains’ story on it at this link. They’re expecting to add Lohse as a reliever at first, then work him back into the rotation, but they’ll take their time with that due to the off days.

* Ryan Franklin and Trever Miller agreed to new contracts on Tuesday. Franklin’s is a two-year deal for 2010 and 2011, replacing his 2010 club option. Miller’s is actually a two-year deal that replaces his 2009 contract, essentially guaranteeing him all the money he could have made with incentives this year and paying him $2 million next year. In essence, it’s the deal he agreed to the deal he WOULD have had if he hadn’t failed his physical over the winter — with one exception.

The change is that Miller now gets a vesting option for 2011. Full details on the deals will be up in my story at this link very shortly.

* Troy Glaus was activated from the DL today. He’ll be mostly a pinch-hitter for the time being. Other reinforcements will come along before too long, but perhaps not until Memphis’ season is finished. The Triple-A club is in a pennant race. My Glaus story can be found at this link.

* Todd Wellemeyer had a very rough outing at Triple-A last night — four runs in 2/3-inning, and only 10 of his 27 pitches went for strikes. He remains on track to make another rehab assignment tomorrow night, but suffice it to say that game didn’t hasten his return to a prominent place on the big club.

* John Mozeliak acknowledged that the club may well have some interest in bringing John Smoltz back as a starter next year.

* Mark DeRosa has been cleared to return to the lineup. However, his 2-for-20 mark against Braden Looper means that Joe Thurston got the start tonight instead.

Tonight’s playlist is all Living Colour, in honor of tonight’s opening night of their fall tour.

* Mark DeRosa was held out of today’s lineup due to some soreness in his wrist. TLR spoke confidently about it after the game, though.

“He [DeRosa] said, ‘I could have played,'” La Russa said. “Barry [Weinberg, head athletic trainer] said this is a really good day [to rest him]. He’s got a little soreness, a little stiffness. Give him the day, take the off day tomorrow. He’ll play Tuesday.”

HOWEVER — if DeRosa is not in fact in there on Tuesday, don’t panic. He has pretty rough numbers (2-for-20, no XBH, 7 Ks) against Braden Looper, while Khalil Greene has hit Looper very well (4-for-12, 2 HR).

* Mitchell Boggs will start next Saturday in Pittsburgh.

* It appears very likely that Troy Glaus will be activated on Tuesday, when rosters can be expanded, but he may be the only one added to the roster that day. Memphis is in a pennant race and the bulk of the callups may wait until the Triple-A team is done.

* The Cards’ second-round Draft pick this year, Robert Stock, has been promoted from rookie-level Johnson City all the way to low Class A Quad Cities. I asked Jeff Luhnow about this today, and he said it’s largely because QC is still playing, while JC’s season is ending, and they want to get Stock all the work he can get. Still, it’s no coincidence that Stock is going where Shelby Miller is. Ideally, the two will be at QC together next year.

* Adam Wainwright will start Friday in Pittsburgh, and then the following Wednesday at the end of the road trip. After THAT, TLR said, Wainwright will get an extra day before his next start thanks to the Sept. 10 off day.

No playlist, since it’s already too late and time to get on home. G’night.

* Todd Wellemeyer has been scratched from his scheduled Tuesday start due to some discomfort and inflammation in his right elbow. Mitchell Boggs is expected to make the start. It appears likely that Wellemeyer could go to the disabled list.

* Troy Glaus’ back is improving. He will meet with Dr. Paletta tonight, and he’s hoping that he might be cleared to swing off a tee tomorrow. He said that he’s been throwing, and that his shoulder is actually improving quite a bit.

* Mark DeRosa is available to come off the bench if needed but is not in tonight’s starting lineup. He’s dealing with some soreness in the right side of his upper back. There’s a good chance, according to TLR, that DeRosa will be back in the lineup tomorrow.

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